TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: The government has chargesheeted 14 male Apna Ghar caretakers, alleging that they were involved in the frequent escapes from the home.
An inquiry in some of the cases is still on.
The Ghar has witnessed at least 46 inmates escaping from the shelter home over the past three years, government data showed, with 14 cases reported since 2009. However, no disciplinary action has been taken against anyone from the shelter or against the NGO that was allegedly involved.
Police have even alleged that inmates were part of a crime ring with local gangsters allegedly smuggling children from there and using them to commit crime.
There are a total of 14 male caretakers and around nine female caretakers to look after the nearly 80 inmates ~ some in conflict with the law, some abandoned, orphans or destitute.
However, employees are upset that no probationary officers or supervisory level officers have been penalized and only lower level officials have been held responsible for all the happenings in this state-run home.
The inquiry is based on the Levinson Martins Inquiry Report which was submitted to and accepted by the government. The inquiry was instituted after frequent escapes of juveniles were reported from the protective home at Merces.
The report had suggested that
boys in conflict with law and those in need of care and protection should be kept in separate buildings and also the location of the two buildings should be such that children do not interact with each other. Also the after care home located in the staff quarters should be immediately shifted, and it should be located close to the Apna Ghar campus.
The logic of the prevention of the mixing of inmates of Apna Ghar with those who have been released was that it was found that, their intermingling and sharing of the same campus and services afforded them an opportunity to release inmates to smuggle prohibited items to the inmates and also arrange for their escapes.
Levinson Martins also stressed on improving infrastructure at Apna Ghar with collapsible iron gates to be fixed at all the dormitory and openings to the gallery. The report had also suggested that in order to improve the administration, Apna Ghar should manage its own affairs and should not outsource administrative responsibilities to non–government organizations.
At present the height of the compound wall of the Apna Ghar has been raised and two policemen have been posted there round-the-clock.
